I do not make things for Paul very often because it is hard to fashion iTunes Gift Certificates or bike pumps by hand. I have tried to buy him handmade things-- like very sweet resin belt buckles that Cathy used to (still?) make or awesome art from Sarah. Still, it is not the same and since I do not knit (which is a skill treasure trove for man things) I have had to think long and hard about things that he loves and that he will use. Take lunch for instance. That boy looooves lunch. At his old job he used to spend the entire first half of the shift thinking about eating it and the entire second half thinking about what he was going to make to bring the next day. So I bough him a Tiffin and made him a bag with a pocket for utensils and enough room in the top for whatever else he might like to take. It has a loop on the side for a caribeener to attach it to the outside of his bike bag and it is lined with terry towelling so the stainless doesn't get banged around. The black and grey skull fabric is an Alexander Henry medium weight cotton. Everything is cotton actually-- I thought I pushed it into girlie territory with the dots, but he has assured me that he's just fine with it.

To make such a bag, I drew a circle an inch bigger around than the actual carrier. Then I measured around the circumference of the circle with my measuring tape adding extra for seam allowances. I sewed the outer tube and marked it off in quarters to be able to pin it on evenly to the circle. The nice thing about attaching things to circles is that you can ease in bits that are too short or too long and you'll end up fine in the end.

The innards were exactly the same except that I made the tube shorter so that when I attached the two together (sewing right sides together around the top, leaving a hole for which to turn it right back out) the outer fabric got pushed down inside making it easy to sew a channel for the drawstring. The drawstring is made out of skinny elastic so that the top of the carrier is always a little closed.

You cannot microwave the lunch carrier, but he keeps a washed bowl at work in case he needs to nuke anything. For the most part, he has to eat in 10 minutes or less, so it's not much of an issues.

I think he is happy and I'm pretty sure he's started mapping out his dream lunches for next week or he's at least been thinking about how cool he's going to look in the Teacher's lounge. It's the little things, People.

Sam woke up at 2am and came downstairs where I was sleeping with the baby to check on things. He woke me up to tell me that Santa had come already and "it's okay Mom, I'll just wait until morning and then come and get you". Which he did at 5 am. Or somewhere around there. He spent the rest of the day in total amazement that Santa KNEW he needed a water bottle and that he loved Playmobil and Magnifying Glasses! That Santa. What a guy.

The tiny baby is doing so well, and as of right this minute does not
spit-up which is some sort of Christmas/Laundry Miracle. He is getting
all chubby and is bearing signs of the signature back neck roll that I
love so much. The bigger
baby is needing a lot of extra touching these days and has made it his
mission to find and recover any leftover formula bottles. He appears to be getting all of his eye teeth and molars all at once. The
biggest boy is so, so good with the new baby. Sometimes I have to
remind
myself that this is the same child who a year ago wouldn't acknowledge
the baby, let alone touch, love or speak adoringly of him. And now he lets Augie sit on his head. He got some new clothes for Christmas, and was all "What?? What! Cooool. Does it have buttons? Okay awesome, I'm going to look good in that". I am planning to leave the house tomorrow!! After a week!! It promises to be thrilling (not unlike all the snow we've had-- if you didn't have a whole lot of places to be, it was so great). We had potatoes and eggs for Christmas Dinner and Sam and I started baking today after all the babies went down for their naps. Happy End of the Year, Everybody. I hope you are staying warm (or cool) and dry and that you are getting lots and lots more sleep than we are.

Before all of this hullabaloo started, I was well on my way to being on top of Christmas. I was going to one of those people that I love/hate. I had PLANS and PROJECT PILES and RECIPE PRINTOUTS. That's right, printouts.

Hah.

I am trying extra hard to live in the moment these days. This is super easy when you've got nothing better to do and haven't been on the receiving end of so much generosity and care. In other words, this is a challenging concept-- a teeth gritting, it's-going-to-be-okay, just breath and feed those babies, Christmas can wait, sort of challenge. Before I left I got Backtack out the door and was feeling pretty good about it. When I arrived home Nicole'spackage was waiting for me and it left me a little teary and all too aware of being given far more than what was required.

I have been wearing the scarves every day and when (if) I go out, I always get "you look nice", which frankly, I never ever get otherwise. I have also been wearing the necklace-- the black one is my favourite right now-- all the time. She included a neck wire cable (technical term, please?) which is the perfect sort of "chain" to wear with grabby babies around. The chocolate was squirreled away immediately and has so far been successfully consumed (tim tams) and used as bribery (cadbury furry friends). The wreath is up (I have wanted to make one like this for years). The ornaments are on the tree. The soap is smelling up the bedroom in the nicest of ways. There is more-- magnets, pins, a Sprout Design bag (buttons). I haven't even put up the Snow and Graham Calendar or the Tree In a Box.

I sent her a hat made from Liberty Lawn, linen and inspired by this pattern. Also, an elephant pouch, some Christmas loves (the felt snowflake trim was bought locally, but I've sourced it to this place), some Pangasinan Star finishing salt and Caramel sauce (both from The Meadow) and a hot pot glove. I accidentally left out some fabric which I'm going to switch out (it was Christmas-ish) and send that on its way soon.

But really, it all pales to the awesomeness of a received Craftapalooza swap.

Next up: a few more finished projects before I resorted to free shipping options and an update on Tiny Tim/Frank Zamboni (Sam's name choices for Manny). It might be another Snow Day tomorrow which would call for some more Moment Living and an extra pair of hands. Awesome.

(All your notes are being saved and printed out for my babies. Thank
you. I am revisiting the personal emails and all of the comments this
week... they are becoming treasured parts of our story.)